


Body

by saihahas



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Brief mentions of Pinky and the Brain, Coming Out, Fluffy Angst, Gen, Non-binary Wakko, bad at tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saihahas/pseuds/saihahas
Summary: Wakko's questioning comes to a head one late night, and they decide to have some fresh air, at a not so fresh hour.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 119





	Body

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first ever fic, if you have any advice please comment about it! I couldn't think of a title jvdbjsdfb

Wakko looked at his reflection on his phone. Another sleepless night. This feeling's always been present, this odd discomfort. He didn’t understand why, but ever since the reboot aired; he’s felt off. Of course, his concerns have yet to externalize enough for his brother or sister to notice, or notice enough to bring it up. Sliding off the couch, he struts over to a mirror. It’s too dark to see much of anything, but he couldn’t stand looking at himself in the mirror for long. He feels better than he did before, to be fair. His request for a bigger and more comfortable sweater was accepted. He almost never took it off, and was often at the butt of a joke over it. The form fittingness of his old sweatshirt made him feel ill when he looked at himself. But why? His big brother never mentioned any discomfort about wearing skinny form fitting clothing, and his baggy pants are a stylistic choice. Dot never mentioned anything similar when it came to her outfit, aside from that she wanted a different shade of pink. He looked at the dark outline of his face, then quickly turned away. _Yikes._ He went and sat on the couch again, looking to his phone once more. He didn’t _feel_ sick, but he felt sick. _Maybe going outside and getting some fresh air would help. But everybody’s asleep, the Tower door is pretty loud as well._ He paused. Unknowingly, he was already walking to the door. _C’mon Wakk, you can be sneaky. It’s just like a spy movie._ He gently opened the door and walked outside. He went to close the door, only to be stopped by another hand pushing back on the door.

“Wakko. What are you doing, it’s almost 4 AM.” _Crap. Not sneaky enough. Play dumb, Wakko._ “I was going outside.” _Not that dumb!_ “I can see that, thank you.” Yakko stepped outside as well, closing the door behind him. “What are you doing up? It seems hypocritical.” Wakko retorted, jumping to sit on the fence of the water tower balcony. “I couldn’t sleep, you were moving around too much. Who knew someone your size could be so loud.” Yakko pointed at him, in a joking manner. “Sorry ‘bout that, Yakk! I was just hungry!” Wakko’s hands started fidgeting, something he does when he’s nervous. Wakko hid his hands into his sweater. Yakko looked at his brother. Something was wrong, but what was it? He’s usually good at reading people, but when it came to Wakko... it was a coin toss. “Where’s your snack then? And why eat it outside at such a late hour?” “It’s an early hour!” Wakko shot back. “You don’t have a snack with you.” Yakko made a face at him, it was accusatory, but was still with concern. _Cmon Yakko... why are we playing good cop bad cop NOW of all times._ Wakko sighed, “You caught me! No snacks.” He laughed, but it fell flat. “Cmon, Wakk. You can tell me anything! We’re brothers! That’s what we do!” Wakko winced at that phrase. ‘ _Brothers...’ Why does that bother me so much?_ Yakko picked up on Wakko’s discomfort in an instant, whatever’s bothering him, he didn’t want to talk about it. “You don’t have to tell me. We’ll just sit and look at the sky for a while.” Yakko hoisted himself onto the railing next to his brother. “You know that sweater looks nice on you! I know we make fun of your attachment to it a lot, but it does suit you.” He gave a smile in support; he knows how attached Wakko gets to certain things. Wakko’s hands started to move much less, but his tail wagged slightly. _Nice one Yakkster, good to know you can still get through to him._ Yakko internally had a sigh of relief. “Thanks! It’s much more my style.” Wakko smiled back, “I like how big it is.” There was a deep silence that followed. Both sat on the tower, looking out at the early morning sky. Ralph was in his booth, asleep. A few animals were skittering about the lot. The silence was nice, in all honesty. “Why couldn’t you sleep tonight?” Yakko asked, and Wako almost immediately tensed. “I dunno! Just one of those nights! Ya can’t sleep and going outside sounded like a good idea.” His voice felt forced but remained upbeat in tone. “I get that! I come outside and sit on the tower too.” Yakko offered, trying to bridge common ground. A silence fell again, but much more strained. “Hey Yakk?” Wakko’s voice finally faltered, it was much more genuine than his previous remarks. “Yeah Wakko? What’s on your mind?” Yakko looked over to his brother, he knows eye contact is important. “Do you ever get uncomfortable with what you look like?” Yakko paused. _Yeah sure, he’s had his self-doubt, and worries about his public image, but he never felt uncomfortable in his own skin._ “Well, uh, yeah! I get nervous with how others see me. Being a public icon, and as famous as I am and all.” He chuckled, retorting with a joke. Wakko feeds off of his big ego and usually responds back in a larger joke, but today was different. “No. I mean as in, you. I don’t feel like me some days.” Wakko’s voice was confused, and Yakko could not believe what he was hearing. Wakko’s never shown much care to his appearance, and even though Yakko wouldn’t be caught dead admitting it, his brother was the most confident in himself. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Wakk.” Wakko let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know either. It just feels like some days I’m the middle brother and some days I’m the middle sibling.” He mumbled the phrase quietly, almost unintelligible to Wakko himself. The silence settled in again. Yakko looked away, trying to think. _A brother... but not a brother either? What on Earth was Wakko talking about? Does Wakko know what he’s talking about? Yakko’s internet knowledge was failing him, maybe it was the wording?_ “I’m sorry Yakk, that didn’t make too much sense, I’m probably just tired! Are you going to stay out here?” Yakko snapped out of his train of thought. Wakko’s never this vulnerable unless he’s genuinely curious or tired, hearing the fake cheer in his voice struck a nerve. “Hey, it’s a genuine question! Tell ya what, think over it while ya sleep, and tell Dot and I when ya feel like it, maybe you just need some rest to think straight.” Yakko smiled, much more earnest than before. “I’m going to stay out a bit longer, the sun should be rising soon.” “Righto Chief!” Wakko responded, mocking his brother’s voice before going into the tower.

Upon the door closing, the eldest sibling stared out into the, now purple, sky. “Come on, Yakkster, think.” _Okay, what does he mean by brother? That’s a good start! Does he mean he doesn’t feel like our brother? No, he said he felt like a sibling. Sibling is plural, so that’s not it. Brother.... brothers are boys. Now we’re getting somewhere! That should make it easier, substitution is a valid process of elimination._ “Wakko feels like a boy, but not a boy either.” A lightbulb lit above his head. “I always knew I was the smartest sibling.” He praised himself, a victory’s a victory! _But he asked if I’ve felt that. I’ve always felt like a boy. Skirts are nice, but I’m just a guy in a skirt._ Yakko pulled his phone out and stared blankly. The answer to helping his brother was right there, and yet he couldn’t get to it! _Damn internet and it’s specifics. Scratchy’s a psychologist, maybe he would know what to do. Maybe Brain, but I doubt he could get what he means either, Brain likes absolutes. Let’s think a little broader, discomfort with body image. Bingo!_ Yakko’s head began hurting reading the walls of text his phone brought up, dysmorphia was the first result, but it didn’t sound like how Wakko described it to be. _Discomfort with being a boy..._ Yakko’s attention shifted again, this time to the word dysphoria. A general displeasure with life, unease. _No, that doesn’t seem like the right word either, Wakko loves being alive and messing around_ \- he cut himself off, reading a little lower. _Gender dysphoria, the feeling of distress within individuals whose gender identity do not align with birth sex. The term is mostly used by transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Gender Dysphoria, huh. I’ve heard of transgender folks, but I’ve never seen the word Nonbinary before._ He looked at his phone again, typing the word nonbinary into the search bar. _Yadda yadda.... Oh!_ He looked at the next paragraph of text, ‘some nonbinary individuals feel attached to neither binary pronouns at all, using they/them instead, others feel attached to multiple pronouns at once, some use she/they or he/they.’ Yakko looked up from his phone, the sun was slowly making its way upward into the sky, a hazy pink taking the air. “Huh. So, the word he was looking for was nonbinary.” Yakko paused. “Did he just...” Yakko’s heart rate slightly increased, a mix of triumph for figuring out his brother’s ramblings, and understanding what his brother meant by those ramblings. _My brother just came out to me, and he didn’t even know it. Wait, maybe using bother is wrong. He said sibling. Yakko’s head spun, thinking about it. Wakko doesn’t really even know either. Well, I can always help him later if he decides to tell us on his own. At least you saw the sunrise. Time to get some shut eye._

A few hours had passed, and the house was still quiet.... _too quiet_ , Dot thought to herself, stretching. She climbed down from her bunk, walking into the kitchen. _Maybe I can finally have breakfast in peace._ Opening a cabinet door, she pulled out a cup and went to the fridge. Right before opening it, she turned around to make sure Wakko was still asleep. Upon getting the confirmation she needed, she opened the fridge and got some apple juice to pour out. On her trip to the store a few days ago she had bought some pop tarts, this morning... _this was the morning for a warm pop tart._ She popped two into the toaster and sat down. _Now that I think about it, it’s not like Yakko to be asleep right now. He’s always the first up. He better not be getting sick, it’s always so difficult to get him to slow down._ She grabbed the pop tarts once the toaster made a small ding and took a bite. _I could get used to Yakko sleeping in._ She smiled to herself, turning around. _Man... Really?_ Yakko groggily sat up from his ball pit bed, wiping his eyes. “Goodmornin Yakks! Was getting a bit worried there.” Dot waved to him, and he waved back. “Mornin sis. I can see you helped yourself to some breakfast.” He yawned, getting out of the pit and walking into the kitchen himself. “The quiet was nice.” She admitted, and Yakko let out a small laugh. “Glad you got your beauty sleep, I didn’t go to bed till around 5, same with Wakko.” He gestured over to the couch, where one of Wakko’s arms was hanging off the side. Dot gave him a look, “What? Did you have a boy’s night?” She asked gingerly. “No, not exactly. I caught him sneaking out, he wanted to sit outside on the balcony.” He smiled and shook his head, a glass of orange juice already half empty in his hand. “That’s a bit uh...” “Weird. I know.” He finished her sentence. “He looked troubled. I think he’s trying to figure out how to tell us something that he doesn’t exactly understand either.” He sat down, looking at the couch again, more worried. “Well, aren’t you being cryptic! Spill the beans.” Dot pushed; she knew how to play her oldest brother like a fiddle. “I want to sis, but they’re not my beans to spill.” He responded, much more stern than usual, marking that as final. “Aw boo, you know I’m impatient!” He laughed, “I know.” “Can I have a hint?” “No.” “Pleeeeease.” “No, I genuinely mean it. Wakko was losing it trying to explain yesterday. Let him figure it out and tell us.” Now both of them were looking over at the couch. Dot’s face softened, “Alright, I’ll be patient.” “Thanks Sis.”

It was about 2 in the afternoon when Wakko finally woke up. Or at least decided to get off the couch and interact with his environment. He got up and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a small mango juice pouch. “He’s alive! **ALIIIVE**!” Yakko yelled, and Dot’s laughter followed suit. “Good morning!” Wakko smiled, in his usual _I-just-woke-up-what-is-happening_ voice. “It's 2 pm Wakko.” Dot remarked, scooting over at the table so he could sit down. That seemed to snap Wakko awake rather quickly. “Huh. That’s a new record!” He cheered, grabbing a bag of powdered donuts. “Anything on your mind last night, or what?” Dot asked and was elbowed gently by Yakko in response. “Uh....” his hands we’re starting to fidget again. “No, not really! Just couldn’t get to sleep.” His voice grew defensive to Dot, and in that moment, she understood _this wasn’t a brother to sister prank. Whatever was on Wakko’s mind was really taking its toll on him_. Yakko piped up quickly, “It happens! Sometimes you just can’t sleep!” Wakko let out a small sigh of relief. “Yeah, what Yakko said!” He was unusually quiet while they all sat at the table, Yakko and Dot were chatting up a storm, but he couldn’t seem to get his mouth to move and say what he was talking about with Yakko that morning. “What’s up, lil bro? Got something on your mind?” Wakko winced, _come on.... say it! It can’t be that bad, maybe they’ll just think it’s a joke and I can think of the punchline later._ His hands were fidgeting more than ever, even hiding them away in his sweater wasn’t that effective anymore. “In fact, I do.” His voice began to flutter. It’s not unusual for Wakko to stim as he talks, but he looked nervous. Dot looked up to Yakko, then to Wakko. “Go for it! I’m all ears!” She put her phone down and looked at him. “No, you’re not! You have fur and eyes too.” “Wakko!” His siblings both scolded him. _Shoot. Can’t get out of it now. At least it was funny._

“So, I’ve been thinking. It’s been something in my mind for ages, but I guess I never really cared until the reboot aired.” He paused, breathing slowly, trying to calm himself down. “Wakk, it's okay. We’re not here to judge you.” Yakko nodded in understanding. Dot remained quiet, fixated on her brother. “I remember using the gender-neutral restroom, and it felt great!” _Really Wakko? That’s your opening line? I took a leak and liked it?_ He sighed, shaking his head. “What I mean is that I really liked going into a place that doesn’t say I _have_ to be a boy to use this restroom, or I _have_ to be a girl to use another restroom.” His fidgeting grew to his tail starting to wag. “I understand that! It’s nice to have privacy sometimes.” Dot smiled, trying to calm him down. “No, I don’t mean in terms of privacy. I just... I don’t know. I liked that I didn’t need a label to go into that restroom and use it.” The three sat in silence for a moment. Yakko squirmed, he knew it wasn’t his place to tell his brother what he felt, but he could guide him, right? “Like how you mentioned earlier this morning. Some days you like the word brother, other days you like sibling, right?” Wakko lit up, his fidgeting slowing. “Yeah! That’s it. I don’t really... Feel like a boy some days.” He shut up in that moment, bracing for a response. “So, some days you don’t feel like a boy?” Dot asked, and Wakko nodded. “Do you feel like a girl sometimes?” She asked, a little more excited. “No. Not a girl. I don’t know what I’m even thinking of.” Wakko sighed, looking to the mirror on the opposite side of the tower before quickly looking away and back to his siblings. “Do you feel like neither?” Yakko asked. “Neither boy nor girl?” Wakko paused. He closed his eyes in deep thought. “Yeah. That’s how I would describe it. Sometimes boy, sometimes none.” In that moment, a giant weight left Wakko’s body. His visible relief from getting it off his chest was exceedingly apparent. “I did some reading after we talked this morning.” Yakko admitted. “That feeling you were talking about is called gender dysphoria. Your head doesn’t agree with your birth sex. Is that familiar?” Wakko nodded, completely silent. Dot up to this moment had been stunned into silence. _Typical Yakko. He stayed up, just to figure out what Wakko felt. She kicked herself for making fun of Yakko earlier_. “So that’s what it’s called....” Wakko muttered quietly. “The word you were looking for to describe yourself was Nonbinary.” Yakko nodded again, and the room fell silent. Wakko had to take time to process, his fidgeting had mostly stopped by then, but you could tell his mind was racing. “Nonbinary...” He kept whispering and repeating the phrase to himself. “My name... is Wakko Warner... I am nonbinary...” They began to repeat themselves over and over, quietly. “Well, I guess you can’t be a programmer.” Yakko chuckled. Wakko’s entire train of thought crashed, _that was good. Don’t laugh. Don’t give him the satisfaction._ Dot pulled out the pun-gun and gave Yakko a shock, trying to hold in her laughter too.

“So Wakko, what would you like to be called?” Dot asked, giving Yakko a chance to recover. “I like Wakko... It’s my brand after all!” They smiled, loosening their grip on their sweater. “I like he, but I would also like to use they. Is that okay?” they asked.”Wakko, you don’t need to ask us, we’ll use the pronouns you tell us to.” Yakko got up and put a hand on Wakko’s head. “Your comfort is just as important to us as it is for you! The Warners stick together!” Dot nodded in agreement. Wakko looked like they could cry, they knew the outcome was going to go over well, after all, they literally sang ‘pronoun balanced, gender neutral’ in the reboot’s theme, but the feeling of welcoming and support was still immense. “Thanks for telling us, Wakks!” Dot smiled, giving them a hug. “I’m always one for a happy ending.” Yakko remarked, picking them both up into a giant bear hug. “I’ll make sure to have Nora change your gender on file.” Yakko remarked, setting the two down. “I can tell Pinky and Brain if you want, or you could tell them for yourself next time we see them, same with Scratchy.” _Yakko had gone back into Yakko mode, pacing and rambling on and on about inclusivity and making sure everyone on set knows to address them as nonbinary._ “And if anyone’s got some backtalk, I’ll take care of it.” Dot looked at Wakko, they couldn’t just say no. “I can talk to Pinky and Brain when I see them again, Scratchy too. You can tell Nora though.” They laughed. “Thanks. I just _love_ Nora's company.” Yakko joked sarcastically. “Well, that took up a majority of the day. Do you guys want to order a pizza? They’re pretty cheesy.” The two youngest nodded, before going back to the couch. Today was a good day.


End file.
